** Whoo! Long chapter ahead! I do not own Pokemon or Sailor Moon. I
own everything else though… That's right! All your Eevee's belong to
me! BWAHAHAHA!!!
Okay.. (ahem). Anyway, on to the story…***
Ami had always been a person with a great affinity over the
element of water, specifically in its solid form. She had spent a lot of her
childhood playing with her ice pokemon and swimming in the small lake
by her family's house. Yet, she had never, ever in her life been seasick.
And this was turning out to be that one time in a million that Ami really
really wished she could just find some nice, dry land FAR AWAY from
water.
"What's the matter?" Michiru giggled as she saw Ami's rather
greenish complexion. "Not enjoying the ride?"
Ami pointed to the bumpy ridges on the shell of Lapras where
she was currently sitting/balancing on. "Well, if you had to sit here all
day, you wouldn't feel so good too."
Michiru chortled. "My Lapras has ridges like those all over her
back."
"Oh." Ami opened her mouth to say something, before closing
it. Her face was now developing a slight reddish tinge of embarrassment.
"Yeah….", she finally trailed off, not sure of what to say.
Their conversation turned into silence as the two of them
simply stared at the vast expanse of ocean, each one lost in their own
personal thoughts.
Without warning, a gigantic wave of water exploded in front of
them, shocking the trio into gaping at the site. The clouds seem to
darken for a moment, as the vast expanse of water shook with torrential
tidal waves and sparkling arcs of water. Michiru struggled to keep her
pokemon stable in this sudden condition, when finally, the flash storm
began to recede.
And if on cue, a gigantic pokemon rose from the oceans, its
body glistening with a silver light that shimmered and reflected with a
million facets of colour. It seemed almost serpentine, sporting a long
elegant neck, and large arms that tapered into curved wings, its graceful
tail lashing out behind it.
Ami and Michiru held their breath as the beautiful pokemon
turned its intelligent deep-violet eyes their direction, as if examining
their souls.
For Ami, the creature seemed to stare at her in an amused
glance. Yet, Michiru could have sworn that its eyes looked down sadly
at her.
And then, it was gone, the split second of beauty lost forever as
the strange leviathan of pokemon rose into the sky and disappeared in its
ethereal light.
Ami blinked, stunned, as the waters receded and left only the
same seascape that had greeted them all day. "Would you like to
enlighten me on what pokemon that was?" The normally super-
intelligent pokemon researcher-in-training said.
Michiru shook her head slowly, never taking her gaze from the
sky from which the creature flew from. "Ever heard of the 'God of the
Sea'?"
Ami's eyes widened. "But…" She spluttered, trying to find a
logical answer, "That's impossible. The God of the Sea has never been
seen, and it never leaves its domain hidden away from human contact.
Not unless…" Her voice trailed off as her eyes widened in muted awe.
Michiru nodded, face looking taut. "Exactly. Where do you
think Usagi's Ho-oh came from? Even though it is part of her soul, the
Ho-oh was and still is a pokemon."
The younger girl's expression was solemn. "Then I hope that
the God of the Sea will find a good master."
Michiru nodded too. "I hope so too."
And somewhere, someplace, Ash sneezed.
(^_^… just joking!)
Finally, the duo arrived on firm ground, Ami leaping of the
Lapras with such glee that she didn't notice slippery rocks underneath
her until her face was inches away from the smooth surface.
Michiru chose to ignore the clumsy move, and patted her
faithful Lapras before returning it. She turned towards the younger girl.
"I guess from here, it's a walking journey. But after that, we should have
about three days before we meet your friend. That is, if she doesn't
suddenly decide to fly somewhere else."
"How do you know it will be three days?" Ami asked, curious.
Michiru smiled, rather enigmatically. "I have my ways." She
answered. And upon seeing her partner's questioning look, she chuckled
a bit. "Maybe when the time's right, I'll tell you."
Choosing satisfaction from that remark, Ami nodded,
compliant. "All right then, let's get walking." She paused to re-check her
salvaged items and make sure that they were heading in the right
direction.
"You know," the blue-haired researcher paused to remark, "Its
times like these that I really wished I had a flying pokemon."
Michiru shrugged. "Unless my Gyarados can suddenly fly,
we're going to have to take the long way."
Ami sighed. "I know."
The duo walked on, each helping the other in a very
cooperative fashion, until they finally settled to rest their weary legs and
sleep for the night. Ami had used some of her leftover flint from the
salvaged camp gear to build a fire, but in the way of blankets and
shelter, the duo found themselves open only to creativity. Thus, Ami
was currently snuggled under a Seel blanket and semi-dried grasses
while Michiru choose a canopy of leaves and an ovalline Azumarril
cushion.
Michiru watched as her companion gently dozed off to sleep,
but she herself could not. Her mind wandered to the rush of events, and
on the more imminent problem at hand. Where was Usagi, and where
were the other Summoners? Most of all, what had caused the gigantic
God of the Sea to rise from its peaceful slumber with so much anguish in
its heart? Michiru knew for a fact that Ami hadn't noticed the agitation
and tension building up, although the younger girl did hint that she was
informed of a crisis. Yet, it was nothing the younger girl would ever be
prepared for. And Michiru knew that when it was time, she would have
to abandon the younger girl and face her mission alone again, with only
her original co-partners. For only they knew the truth of their secret.
Yes, the God of the Sea was a bad omen indeed. For only few others
knew that the 'God of Sea' was also called the 'God of Destruction'.
The teal-haired woman was about to fall asleep when a slight
sound suddenly jolted her back to her senses. She inhaled and held her
breath as she waited for a second signal of danger. And it came, in the
form of distant, muffled voices.
Immediately, Michiru was on her feet, shaking her partner
awake.
"Ami… Ami! Get up!" Michiru hissed urgently, watching with
wary eyes as the younger girl stirred and looked at her with sleepy
confused eyes.
"Huh? Michiru.. what?" Ami startled, still dazed and dulled by
sleep.
Michiru put on hand to her lips in a gesture to tell Ami to be
quiet. "Someone's following us."
Ami's eyes widened, and both girls immediately recalled their
pokemon, Michiru's Azumarril dousing the fire before both of them ran
way from their camp site…
… and smack into the face of what seemed like a barrier of
people, each dressed in a stoic murky black and grey. What
distinguished their appearance from the darkness of the night was a
single "R" emblazoned on the center of each shirt.
Michiru's eyes narrowed. "So, we meet, Team Rocket." She
said, voice containing layers of hidden venom.
The leader, a tall lanky chestnut-haired man, walked up
aggressively to the teal-haired woman. "Heh. You're encounter with us
will be your last." He smiled as he brought up a pokeball, the rest of the
Rocket gang following suit. "You got any last prayers?"
Michiru thought for a long moment, as if contemplating for her
life's worth. Ami was just simply stunned beyond the point of speaking,
her inexperience with battling obviously showing in her fear.
"Yeah." Michiru finally answered. "You can go to hell."
His eyes narrowed at her attitude, and with much gusto, he
threw into the air three pokeballs, each one leaving a grotesque and what
seemed mildly to horrendously deformed pokemon.
Shocked and repulsed, Michiru looked at the sight of the three
pokemon revealed before her. Of the three, the one in the left seemed the
most normal, a rather spiteful looking black cobra pokemon Arbok. Yet,
the other two… Michiru could have sworn that one of them was a cross
between a blackened Muk and Golbat, which dripped a foul ooze with
every flap of its wings. The other one was completely unrecognizable,
resembling a demon that looked like the cross between a serpentine
Houndour, more than anything else.
Ami cowered in fear as Michiru's lip curled in disgust. Both of
them knew that they were in at least a disadvantage, being cornered by
so many different Rocket trainers, each with a potential pokemon able of
causing havoc.
The Rocket leader gave them no time to react, and sent out his
three pokemon to do what his vicious mind desired. Immediately, with
carefully trained synchronization, the pokemon leapt at the throats of
Michiru and Ami.
Michiru hadn't been raised for most of her life to slow reflexes,
and she pushed Ami out of the way, both of the girls tumbling towards
the hidden sanctity of the bushes. But not for long as a firery wave of
dark flames lit the bush up in an eerie blue light.
Immediately, an Azumarril and mermaid-like Vaporeon
appeared on each side of Michiru, dousing the unnatural blue flames
with a watery burst, while sending a couple of Rocket members out of
commission with a blast of hydro pump.
"Ami, run!" Michiru signaled for the younger girl, now that
there was an opening between the Rocket circle.
Ami looked hesitantly at the older woman. "But…" She
sputtered, reluctant, as one hand was still on her pokeball.
Michiru shook her head. "Get going! These people are part of
the Rocket Elite, and you're not experienced enough to handle them."
Indigence crept into Ami's face, even as the battle ensured
between Michiru's water pokemon and the strange demonic pokemon of
the Rocket leader.
"I can handle myself." Ami retorted, trying to still keep her
dignity.
Michiru choose that moment to give Ami a good glare. "For
heaven's sake, stop arguing with me and just run, okay? If you give
some of them a good chase then that's less Rocket members for me to
deal with."
Ami hesitated. "But…"
"I can handle this fine." Michiru responded, rather calm despite
the furious battle that her pokemon were engaged in. Another blast of
water hastily counterattacked a burst of toxic slime. "And I could use a
good distraction about now."
With a final dismissal nod, Ami complied, and darted with
amazing ease away from the ring of Rocket members. And just as she
expected, some of them cried in surprise at Ami's ease in escaping their
grasps, chasing after her without a second thought.
And as she heard the sounds of pokeballs being called upon,
and the dull thudding of inhuman footsteps, Ami realized that she was
indeed in deep trouble.
It was only a matter of seconds before the blue-haired pokemon
researcher was surrounded by a small ring of Rocket Elite members.
Immediately, Ami tried to back away, only to realize that she had
nowhere to back into.
Her pokeball flew from her hand, and her faithful Seel
appeared, trying to look defiant despite the laughs and jeers of the
Rocket members.
"Mercury bubbles!" Ami commanded, followed by a gust of
icy air her Seel released.
The laughs and taunts of the Rocket members turned suddenly
into shouts of anger and frustration as the atmosphere around them
turned into a dense cold fog. Immediately, Ami began running, trying to
find some escape so that she could go get help.
"Not so fast."
A Rocket member grabbed the short blue-haired girl by the
wrist, yanking her off balance roughly. He sneered as he watched Ami's
expression turn to one of pure fear.
"What's the matter girlie? All alone?" He taunted, face ever so
near eyes, breath reeking of superiority.
Ami struggled to wrench herself free from his grasp but he was
too strong. She gasped as the Rocket member suddenly pulled on her
arm, causing her to loose balance and ball into his embrace.
The Rocket member smiled. "Hey, you're not bad looking.
How about a deal – you and me together for a while, and I'll let you go
home free."
Ami's eyes widened at the realization at what he was hinting at,
and she spat into his face. "Jerk!" She screamed, trying to kick him,
although failing short in her attempt.
Calmly, he wiped the spittle from his face with his other free
hand, giving Ami an amused glare. "I think you'll pay for that." He
responded, revealing from his pokeball a deadly Pinsir, its gleaming
mandibles thirsted menacingly towards Ami's face.
"You know, it'll be such a pity mutilating you're beautiful
face." He commented. "After all, the Boss only wants you guys alive,
not really specifying how."
Ami's breathing became ragged and harsh, and adrenaline
pumped into her system. If she didn't get help fast, she was going to be
very dead and very soon. If not dead, then seriously decapitated to the
point of death. With her hands caught and unable to grab any pokeballs,
she found herself out of options. Wait. There was one.
"SOMEBODY HELP ME!" Ami screamed for all she was
worth, and continued screaming until he covered her mouth up and
caused her to choke in her own screams. Ami immediately bit his hand,
although to her disappointment, he did not recoil in shock but simply
withdrew the bloody hand and slapped her. Hard.
"All right. "He snarled, voice extremely angry to the point of
insanity. "You pay now."
The Pinsir leapt and point blank range at Ami, its mandibles
covered in what seemed like dripping saliva. Ami closed her eyes,
waiting for the flash of pain…
…. And suddenly, time seemed to slow down…
…."What happened?"
Ami re-opened her eyes, and gasped in awe at what she saw. A
million strands of delicate fibres swam around her, each one
interconnecting and creating a beautiful crystalline pattern, never
repeating or differing in extremity. Curiously, Ami, reached out to touch
one of the tendrils, and suddenly, she was hurtled into a memory of her
past:
Ami blinked. She had almost forgotten about that encounter,
years ago, when her mother had scoffed of her idea of seeing a gigantic
blue bird on the snowy observatory tower.
:Do you still believe it was real?:
A voice cried out, and Ami jerked her head in shock, looking
for the source. Yet, all that was around her was the still pattern of glassy
fibres, as exquisite as it had been before.
:Do you still believe it was real?: The voice repeated, its sound
cold and soft at the same time, like the voice of the winter breeze and
harsh arctic storms.
Ami thought carefully about what the voice had asked, as the
rational part of her mind, the barrier to her true emotions, began to melt
away. She remembered her childhood love for fantasies and her hope of
achieving dreams that her logical mother deemed impossible. Her love
of science and knowledge was only a part of her, and now she felt that it
was only that – one strand in a million….
"Yes." Ami's voice came out loud and clear, her tone echoing
across the vast expanse of crystal. "Yes. I believe that it was real." A
pause ensued as Ami grasped for the right words. "More than that, I
believe that YOU are real."
:You're very good: The voice contained a tone of respectful
amusement. :So intelligent, and so gentle.: Its voice grew louder and
stronger.
: Mizuno Ami. I have Named you now and you must Call me
in return. Who am I?:
For a moment, Ami's mind panicked. None of her logic and
reason ever had to deal with this – there was no scientific clue to whom
this could be. And with that single deduction, she pushed past her logical
barriers, past the firmest crevasses of her mind to name what she knew
true, and what her heart knew was true.
"I summon you, my Spirit pokemon…."
"…ARTICUNO!"
And her voice shattered the very illusion Ami had entered as
her reality and the reality of her Articuno became one.
From the presence of the blue-haired girl rose an exquisite icy
bird pokemon, its feathers embellished in a glow of snow-white and
arctic blue.
… As began to run again
Ami watched as her Articuno blew back the Rocket members
with a single torrential blast of ice, freezing the Elite to the spot. Hunter
now became hunted as various Rocket members scattered to escape this
newly Called pokemon. Feeling Ami's rage and anguish, the blizzard
pokemon lashed out at the opponent, turning the woods around the duo
into a vast icy lair.
Finally, it was over, and the angelic Articuno turned its eyes to
the matching coloured eyes of its Caller.
It asked, wings outstretched and inviting.
Ami nodded as she clambered onto her Articuno's back. "Sure,
but I have some one else to pick up on the way…"
Michiru had managed to defeat the leader of the Rocket Elite's
pokemon, but at the expense of endangering her own pokemon's life.
With no antidote in sight, her pokemon were suffering from serious
toxic injury. Holding her pokemon, Michiru only wished that Ami was
okay.
Suddenly, a blur of glittering blue shot from the sky right in
front of Michiru, revealing… Ami and a gigantic bird pokemon. It was
an icy blue complexion with three diamond-shaped head feathers, with
an equal number of elongated tail plumage. Michiru stepped back in
shock.
"Masaka.." She murmured, not sure of what to say. "That's…"
Ami simply responded by gesturing to a spot below from where
she sat on her Articuno. "Hey, you want a ride?"
*******
Authors' notes:
You know what's really cool? Me ^_^!!
Eevee muse: (sweatdrops)
Okay, maybe not me, but the story was cool. Literally. (dodges various
flying fruit from the bad pun). Okay, okay… I get the idea. Hmm.. Who
shall I pick next to have a Spirit pokemon?
Usagi: Ooooh oooh! Pick me, pick me!
Ara… Don't you already have one?
Usagi: I do?
By the way, thanks for the reviews, and best of luck with your new
story, Myst_Lady ^_^!
(Zoo boots Minako and Setsuna out of her fic so that Myst_Lady can use
them)
Oh! And thanks for the reviews! If you have any opinions or questions or even pokemon requests for the senshi to use, I'll be glad to comply, as long as it makes sense...
(image of Chibi-Usa cuddling a Tyrannotar) o.O
own everything else though… That's right! All your Eevee's belong to
me! BWAHAHAHA!!!
Okay.. (ahem). Anyway, on to the story…***
Ami had always been a person with a great affinity over the
element of water, specifically in its solid form. She had spent a lot of her
childhood playing with her ice pokemon and swimming in the small lake
by her family's house. Yet, she had never, ever in her life been seasick.
And this was turning out to be that one time in a million that Ami really
really wished she could just find some nice, dry land FAR AWAY from
water.
"What's the matter?" Michiru giggled as she saw Ami's rather
greenish complexion. "Not enjoying the ride?"
Ami pointed to the bumpy ridges on the shell of Lapras where
she was currently sitting/balancing on. "Well, if you had to sit here all
day, you wouldn't feel so good too."
Michiru chortled. "My Lapras has ridges like those all over her
back."
"Oh." Ami opened her mouth to say something, before closing
it. Her face was now developing a slight reddish tinge of embarrassment.
"Yeah….", she finally trailed off, not sure of what to say.
Their conversation turned into silence as the two of them
simply stared at the vast expanse of ocean, each one lost in their own
personal thoughts.
Without warning, a gigantic wave of water exploded in front of
them, shocking the trio into gaping at the site. The clouds seem to
darken for a moment, as the vast expanse of water shook with torrential
tidal waves and sparkling arcs of water. Michiru struggled to keep her
pokemon stable in this sudden condition, when finally, the flash storm
began to recede.
And if on cue, a gigantic pokemon rose from the oceans, its
body glistening with a silver light that shimmered and reflected with a
million facets of colour. It seemed almost serpentine, sporting a long
elegant neck, and large arms that tapered into curved wings, its graceful
tail lashing out behind it.
Ami and Michiru held their breath as the beautiful pokemon
turned its intelligent deep-violet eyes their direction, as if examining
their souls.
For Ami, the creature seemed to stare at her in an amused
glance. Yet, Michiru could have sworn that its eyes looked down sadly
at her.
And then, it was gone, the split second of beauty lost forever as
the strange leviathan of pokemon rose into the sky and disappeared in its
ethereal light.
Ami blinked, stunned, as the waters receded and left only the
same seascape that had greeted them all day. "Would you like to
enlighten me on what pokemon that was?" The normally super-
intelligent pokemon researcher-in-training said.
Michiru shook her head slowly, never taking her gaze from the
sky from which the creature flew from. "Ever heard of the 'God of the
Sea'?"
Ami's eyes widened. "But…" She spluttered, trying to find a
logical answer, "That's impossible. The God of the Sea has never been
seen, and it never leaves its domain hidden away from human contact.
Not unless…" Her voice trailed off as her eyes widened in muted awe.
Michiru nodded, face looking taut. "Exactly. Where do you
think Usagi's Ho-oh came from? Even though it is part of her soul, the
Ho-oh was and still is a pokemon."
The younger girl's expression was solemn. "Then I hope that
the God of the Sea will find a good master."
Michiru nodded too. "I hope so too."
And somewhere, someplace, Ash sneezed.
(^_^… just joking!)
Finally, the duo arrived on firm ground, Ami leaping of the
Lapras with such glee that she didn't notice slippery rocks underneath
her until her face was inches away from the smooth surface.
Michiru chose to ignore the clumsy move, and patted her
faithful Lapras before returning it. She turned towards the younger girl.
"I guess from here, it's a walking journey. But after that, we should have
about three days before we meet your friend. That is, if she doesn't
suddenly decide to fly somewhere else."
"How do you know it will be three days?" Ami asked, curious.
Michiru smiled, rather enigmatically. "I have my ways." She
answered. And upon seeing her partner's questioning look, she chuckled
a bit. "Maybe when the time's right, I'll tell you."
Choosing satisfaction from that remark, Ami nodded,
compliant. "All right then, let's get walking." She paused to re-check her
salvaged items and make sure that they were heading in the right
direction.
"You know," the blue-haired researcher paused to remark, "Its
times like these that I really wished I had a flying pokemon."
Michiru shrugged. "Unless my Gyarados can suddenly fly,
we're going to have to take the long way."
Ami sighed. "I know."
The duo walked on, each helping the other in a very
cooperative fashion, until they finally settled to rest their weary legs and
sleep for the night. Ami had used some of her leftover flint from the
salvaged camp gear to build a fire, but in the way of blankets and
shelter, the duo found themselves open only to creativity. Thus, Ami
was currently snuggled under a Seel blanket and semi-dried grasses
while Michiru choose a canopy of leaves and an ovalline Azumarril
cushion.
Michiru watched as her companion gently dozed off to sleep,
but she herself could not. Her mind wandered to the rush of events, and
on the more imminent problem at hand. Where was Usagi, and where
were the other Summoners? Most of all, what had caused the gigantic
God of the Sea to rise from its peaceful slumber with so much anguish in
its heart? Michiru knew for a fact that Ami hadn't noticed the agitation
and tension building up, although the younger girl did hint that she was
informed of a crisis. Yet, it was nothing the younger girl would ever be
prepared for. And Michiru knew that when it was time, she would have
to abandon the younger girl and face her mission alone again, with only
her original co-partners. For only they knew the truth of their secret.
Yes, the God of the Sea was a bad omen indeed. For only few others
knew that the 'God of Sea' was also called the 'God of Destruction'.
The teal-haired woman was about to fall asleep when a slight
sound suddenly jolted her back to her senses. She inhaled and held her
breath as she waited for a second signal of danger. And it came, in the
form of distant, muffled voices.
Immediately, Michiru was on her feet, shaking her partner
awake.
"Ami… Ami! Get up!" Michiru hissed urgently, watching with
wary eyes as the younger girl stirred and looked at her with sleepy
confused eyes.
"Huh? Michiru.. what?" Ami startled, still dazed and dulled by
sleep.
Michiru put on hand to her lips in a gesture to tell Ami to be
quiet. "Someone's following us."
Ami's eyes widened, and both girls immediately recalled their
pokemon, Michiru's Azumarril dousing the fire before both of them ran
way from their camp site…
… and smack into the face of what seemed like a barrier of
people, each dressed in a stoic murky black and grey. What
distinguished their appearance from the darkness of the night was a
single "R" emblazoned on the center of each shirt.
Michiru's eyes narrowed. "So, we meet, Team Rocket." She
said, voice containing layers of hidden venom.
The leader, a tall lanky chestnut-haired man, walked up
aggressively to the teal-haired woman. "Heh. You're encounter with us
will be your last." He smiled as he brought up a pokeball, the rest of the
Rocket gang following suit. "You got any last prayers?"
Michiru thought for a long moment, as if contemplating for her
life's worth. Ami was just simply stunned beyond the point of speaking,
her inexperience with battling obviously showing in her fear.
"Yeah." Michiru finally answered. "You can go to hell."
His eyes narrowed at her attitude, and with much gusto, he
threw into the air three pokeballs, each one leaving a grotesque and what
seemed mildly to horrendously deformed pokemon.
Shocked and repulsed, Michiru looked at the sight of the three
pokemon revealed before her. Of the three, the one in the left seemed the
most normal, a rather spiteful looking black cobra pokemon Arbok. Yet,
the other two… Michiru could have sworn that one of them was a cross
between a blackened Muk and Golbat, which dripped a foul ooze with
every flap of its wings. The other one was completely unrecognizable,
resembling a demon that looked like the cross between a serpentine
Houndour, more than anything else.
Ami cowered in fear as Michiru's lip curled in disgust. Both of
them knew that they were in at least a disadvantage, being cornered by
so many different Rocket trainers, each with a potential pokemon able of
causing havoc.
The Rocket leader gave them no time to react, and sent out his
three pokemon to do what his vicious mind desired. Immediately, with
carefully trained synchronization, the pokemon leapt at the throats of
Michiru and Ami.
Michiru hadn't been raised for most of her life to slow reflexes,
and she pushed Ami out of the way, both of the girls tumbling towards
the hidden sanctity of the bushes. But not for long as a firery wave of
dark flames lit the bush up in an eerie blue light.
Immediately, an Azumarril and mermaid-like Vaporeon
appeared on each side of Michiru, dousing the unnatural blue flames
with a watery burst, while sending a couple of Rocket members out of
commission with a blast of hydro pump.
"Ami, run!" Michiru signaled for the younger girl, now that
there was an opening between the Rocket circle.
Ami looked hesitantly at the older woman. "But…" She
sputtered, reluctant, as one hand was still on her pokeball.
Michiru shook her head. "Get going! These people are part of
the Rocket Elite, and you're not experienced enough to handle them."
Indigence crept into Ami's face, even as the battle ensured
between Michiru's water pokemon and the strange demonic pokemon of
the Rocket leader.
"I can handle myself." Ami retorted, trying to still keep her
dignity.
Michiru choose that moment to give Ami a good glare. "For
heaven's sake, stop arguing with me and just run, okay? If you give
some of them a good chase then that's less Rocket members for me to
deal with."
Ami hesitated. "But…"
"I can handle this fine." Michiru responded, rather calm despite
the furious battle that her pokemon were engaged in. Another blast of
water hastily counterattacked a burst of toxic slime. "And I could use a
good distraction about now."
With a final dismissal nod, Ami complied, and darted with
amazing ease away from the ring of Rocket members. And just as she
expected, some of them cried in surprise at Ami's ease in escaping their
grasps, chasing after her without a second thought.
And as she heard the sounds of pokeballs being called upon,
and the dull thudding of inhuman footsteps, Ami realized that she was
indeed in deep trouble.
It was only a matter of seconds before the blue-haired pokemon
researcher was surrounded by a small ring of Rocket Elite members.
Immediately, Ami tried to back away, only to realize that she had
nowhere to back into.
Her pokeball flew from her hand, and her faithful Seel
appeared, trying to look defiant despite the laughs and jeers of the
Rocket members.
"Mercury bubbles!" Ami commanded, followed by a gust of
icy air her Seel released.
The laughs and taunts of the Rocket members turned suddenly
into shouts of anger and frustration as the atmosphere around them
turned into a dense cold fog. Immediately, Ami began running, trying to
find some escape so that she could go get help.
"Not so fast."
A Rocket member grabbed the short blue-haired girl by the
wrist, yanking her off balance roughly. He sneered as he watched Ami's
expression turn to one of pure fear.
"What's the matter girlie? All alone?" He taunted, face ever so
near eyes, breath reeking of superiority.
Ami struggled to wrench herself free from his grasp but he was
too strong. She gasped as the Rocket member suddenly pulled on her
arm, causing her to loose balance and ball into his embrace.
The Rocket member smiled. "Hey, you're not bad looking.
How about a deal – you and me together for a while, and I'll let you go
home free."
Ami's eyes widened at the realization at what he was hinting at,
and she spat into his face. "Jerk!" She screamed, trying to kick him,
although failing short in her attempt.
Calmly, he wiped the spittle from his face with his other free
hand, giving Ami an amused glare. "I think you'll pay for that." He
responded, revealing from his pokeball a deadly Pinsir, its gleaming
mandibles thirsted menacingly towards Ami's face.
"You know, it'll be such a pity mutilating you're beautiful
face." He commented. "After all, the Boss only wants you guys alive,
not really specifying how."
Ami's breathing became ragged and harsh, and adrenaline
pumped into her system. If she didn't get help fast, she was going to be
very dead and very soon. If not dead, then seriously decapitated to the
point of death. With her hands caught and unable to grab any pokeballs,
she found herself out of options. Wait. There was one.
"SOMEBODY HELP ME!" Ami screamed for all she was
worth, and continued screaming until he covered her mouth up and
caused her to choke in her own screams. Ami immediately bit his hand,
although to her disappointment, he did not recoil in shock but simply
withdrew the bloody hand and slapped her. Hard.
"All right. "He snarled, voice extremely angry to the point of
insanity. "You pay now."
The Pinsir leapt and point blank range at Ami, its mandibles
covered in what seemed like dripping saliva. Ami closed her eyes,
waiting for the flash of pain…
…. And suddenly, time seemed to slow down…
…."What happened?"
Ami re-opened her eyes, and gasped in awe at what she saw. A
million strands of delicate fibres swam around her, each one
interconnecting and creating a beautiful crystalline pattern, never
repeating or differing in extremity. Curiously, Ami, reached out to touch
one of the tendrils, and suddenly, she was hurtled into a memory of her
past:
Ami blinked. She had almost forgotten about that encounter,
years ago, when her mother had scoffed of her idea of seeing a gigantic
blue bird on the snowy observatory tower.
:Do you still believe it was real?:
A voice cried out, and Ami jerked her head in shock, looking
for the source. Yet, all that was around her was the still pattern of glassy
fibres, as exquisite as it had been before.
:Do you still believe it was real?: The voice repeated, its sound
cold and soft at the same time, like the voice of the winter breeze and
harsh arctic storms.
Ami thought carefully about what the voice had asked, as the
rational part of her mind, the barrier to her true emotions, began to melt
away. She remembered her childhood love for fantasies and her hope of
achieving dreams that her logical mother deemed impossible. Her love
of science and knowledge was only a part of her, and now she felt that it
was only that – one strand in a million….
"Yes." Ami's voice came out loud and clear, her tone echoing
across the vast expanse of crystal. "Yes. I believe that it was real." A
pause ensued as Ami grasped for the right words. "More than that, I
believe that YOU are real."
:You're very good: The voice contained a tone of respectful
amusement. :So intelligent, and so gentle.: Its voice grew louder and
stronger.
: Mizuno Ami. I have Named you now and you must Call me
in return. Who am I?:
For a moment, Ami's mind panicked. None of her logic and
reason ever had to deal with this – there was no scientific clue to whom
this could be. And with that single deduction, she pushed past her logical
barriers, past the firmest crevasses of her mind to name what she knew
true, and what her heart knew was true.
"I summon you, my Spirit pokemon…."
"…ARTICUNO!"
And her voice shattered the very illusion Ami had entered as
her reality and the reality of her Articuno became one.
From the presence of the blue-haired girl rose an exquisite icy
bird pokemon, its feathers embellished in a glow of snow-white and
arctic blue.
… As began to run again
Ami watched as her Articuno blew back the Rocket members
with a single torrential blast of ice, freezing the Elite to the spot. Hunter
now became hunted as various Rocket members scattered to escape this
newly Called pokemon. Feeling Ami's rage and anguish, the blizzard
pokemon lashed out at the opponent, turning the woods around the duo
into a vast icy lair.
Finally, it was over, and the angelic Articuno turned its eyes to
the matching coloured eyes of its Caller.
It asked, wings outstretched and inviting.
Ami nodded as she clambered onto her Articuno's back. "Sure,
but I have some one else to pick up on the way…"
Michiru had managed to defeat the leader of the Rocket Elite's
pokemon, but at the expense of endangering her own pokemon's life.
With no antidote in sight, her pokemon were suffering from serious
toxic injury. Holding her pokemon, Michiru only wished that Ami was
okay.
Suddenly, a blur of glittering blue shot from the sky right in
front of Michiru, revealing… Ami and a gigantic bird pokemon. It was
an icy blue complexion with three diamond-shaped head feathers, with
an equal number of elongated tail plumage. Michiru stepped back in
shock.
"Masaka.." She murmured, not sure of what to say. "That's…"
Ami simply responded by gesturing to a spot below from where
she sat on her Articuno. "Hey, you want a ride?"
*******
Authors' notes:
You know what's really cool? Me ^_^!!
Eevee muse: (sweatdrops)
Okay, maybe not me, but the story was cool. Literally. (dodges various
flying fruit from the bad pun). Okay, okay… I get the idea. Hmm.. Who
shall I pick next to have a Spirit pokemon?
Usagi: Ooooh oooh! Pick me, pick me!
Ara… Don't you already have one?
Usagi: I do?
By the way, thanks for the reviews, and best of luck with your new
story, Myst_Lady ^_^!
(Zoo boots Minako and Setsuna out of her fic so that Myst_Lady can use
them)
Oh! And thanks for the reviews! If you have any opinions or questions or even pokemon requests for the senshi to use, I'll be glad to comply, as long as it makes sense...
(image of Chibi-Usa cuddling a Tyrannotar) o.O